The Penguins aren’t wasting time when it comes to their sudden GM search. Rob Rossi of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that Pittsburgh has already received permission to speak to two of their desired candidates in Los Angeles (Ron Hextall) and Montreal (Scott Mellanby).
Of those two, Hextall is the only one with general manager experience at the NHL level as he held the post with Philadelphia from 2014 through late 2018. He had been out of the league since then until rejoining Los Angeles as a senior advisor; he had previously served as their assistant GM before getting the job with the Flyers.
As for Mellanby, he has been with the Canadiens since 2012 after leaving St. Louis as an assistant coach. He was promoted to assistant GM back in 2014 and has held that role ever since. He has been a candidate for most vacancies around the league the last couple of years although he hasn’t gotten that opportunity just yet.
Meanwhile, current interim GM Patrik Allvin will get the first interview for the position. He has been with Pittsburgh since 2006, holding several different roles along the way. Rossi notes that Pittsburgh already has a shortlist of five external candidates to consider (although Rangers assistant Chris Drury isn’t likely to be granted permission to interview) although they will cast a wider net from there. Their hope remains to have a decision made within the next month.
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